Because The Twins Couldn't Do It
by moonshin3
Summary: Every object can be fooled, even the Goblet of Fire, depending on how you look at it. A short romance between a Weasley twin, and character of my own imagination.


I preamble through the hollowed halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry alongside one Fleur Delacour, my dark curls bouncing lightly under my powder blue cap with each delicate stride. I absolutely detested walking anywhere near Fluer. One is forced to practically dance with each step to keep from looking ridiculously awkward next to the overly blessed girl. I could deduce that I held my own fairly well though, given the less then subtle sets of eyes that found me around every corner. I try to send of small smile to each person whose gaze find mine, as the two of us make our ways through the castle in search of a room I was starting to believe we would never find.

Hogwarts was gaudily expansive.

It wasn't as though Bauxbatons wasn't grandiose - or even a bit ostentations - but it was at least manageable. Never in my seven years attending the elegant school had I found myself lost, or even mildly turned around. But just ten minutes attempting to navigate this school had gotten me frustrated to the point of wanting to give up. But Fluer was on a mission; neither hell, nor high waters could stop her. And the blonde refused to ask one of the hundreds of gawking hallway doppelgangers for assistance.

So we continued to wander.

We past an odd assortment of things along the way; a boy swallowing a quick handful of little round something which seemed to trigger a rather intense nosebleed, a particularly chubby ghost writing nasty profanes on a chalkboard, a dusty suit of arming laughing and squeaking into a mound of rusted metal on the stone floor. My distaste for the place only increased.

After what felt like hours, but had only been twenty minutes or so of lighthearted chatter, and half slipping on the vast number of ever changing stairwells, Fluer veered suddenly to the right and I could only hope that she had spotted what we were looking for. Almost instantly, I knew that she had. Through a small door place a decent sized room sat, empty of all furnishings. The room was dimly lit, and cast into a vibrant blueish shade which may have been considered eerie under different circumstances.

The Goblet of Fire sat gleaming in the center of the room.

"My my my," I said under my breath, shaking my head slightly in a mixture of awe and underestimation.

Fluer looked over at me then, her eyes and smile shining possibly even brighter then the cup.

The cup. It was nothing but a silly cup.

My initial shock wore off, and I picked up pace again, bring myself closer to the prominent object. Fluer did not hesitate to follow close behind me.

I slid my folded piece of rose tined parchment into Fluer outstretched hand, and then shut my deep blue eyes rather then watch as Fluer tiny hand reached up and dropped the parchment - hers and mine - into the flames.

"It iz done," she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice.

I didn't open my eyes, but just nodded and swayed a little, fighting back a threatening smile.

"Ouldn't it be 'orrible if neither of us made it? No one else ould do Bauxbatons any justice. No one wants it nearly as badly."

Inside I was positively bursting with glee, and smugness. My piece of parchment was blank.

* * *

Later that night, I found myself back inside the ever glowing room. It was packed rather tightly with people. A few dozen students crowded in around the goblet itself, basking in the glory, and probably imaging the fame that this cup promised. They were probably chanting at it in their heads, hoping to convince the inanimate object to choose them.

They were wasting their time.

The student who would be chosen as representative of this highly attended school was most likely not even amongst this gaggle of wishful thinkers.

Others in the room were seated in a grand set of raised bleachers which had not been there the first time I had come to visit this room.

I decided to join this crowd rather then go stand amongst the overly excited idiots in the front row. I took a seat next to a quiet looking girl with undeniably big hair and a rather large book on her lap. She didn't look up from the text as I sat down.

I watched the people around me, and really noticed the students of Hogwarts for the first time since my arrival. I yearned for and envied their coed habitat.

The room erupted around me, and I looked around for the commotion causer. Two redheads of unmistakable identicalness had burst into the room with their hands thrown up above their heads, each holding a non transparent potion bottle in one hand. Cheers from all around me continued as these boys reached the center of the room. Unprecedentedly the quiet reader beside me said, in a rather annoying sing songy voice "It's not going to work."

The twins responded with a cutely unison "Oh, yeah? And why's that Granger?"

The three continued to banter back and forth debating the possibility of an aging potion outwitting a well drawn age line. The girl seemed rather smart, and her arguments were pretty sound, but the boys emptied the vials non the less, linked arms, and jumped, right up next to the goblet.

Another roar of cheer. That sure wiped the smugness from Granger's face. But not for long. After their two bits of old parchment had successfully entered the fiery depths of the cup, it was painfully obvious that all would not be well. In other words, the shit hit the fan.

Angry licks of blue flames scorched around the room, and people screamed for the unimpressive show. The two boys were thrown rather roughly from the inside of the circle and down onto the ground, where beards began to sprout from their chins.

Aging potions indeed.

They gripped at their faces horrified as they watched thin white hair protrude from their twin's chin as if in some wacky mirror scene from a bad childerns' show. Everyone around me laughed. But I didn't. Instead my little pointed feet carried me towards the two figures.

"A hospital wing, yeah?" I said, doing my best to transform my obtrusive French accent, into the smooth infliction of an English person. The effect wasn't half bad.

The two red headed boys nodded together, scrambling to their feet, and grasping at their chins.

"I'm Gracie."

"I'm George, and this is Fred." Said the one on the right, motioning towards his mirror image. The pair was obviously flabbergasted, eyes wide with surprise. Regardless, they both held the air of being above it all. They emitted pleasant I-don't-give-a-fuck vibes. It was nice. Much too many people give a fuck.

* * *

Later that night, I was sitting atop my silk fitted bedding, brushing my locks of dark curls around my thin shoulders, and buttoning the seven silver buttons of my purple coat, preparing to set off into the night.

Earlier that evening I had escorted the two aging boys up endless flights of stairs to a small corridor clearly labeled 'Hospital Wing,' laughing wholeheartedly the entire way. The twins had an easy lighthearted humor in them. One that was scarcely found amongst the all too serious students of Bauxbatons. It was a nice change.

Once inside the wing, I had met a quite eccentric lady who took quick care to Fred and George. Their beards had disappeared within moments of arriving.

Beardless, I would have to admit that these two twins were quite handsome. And beardless, I would be forced to admit that the twins were exceptional flirts. I can't say that they didn't charm me.

And so I had agreed to meet them after the castle lights had extinguished at a body of water they pointed out as the Black Lake while walking me across the yards to the Bauxbatons carriage after our little hospital adventure.

I watched as the last light flickered out in a window of the northern tower, and then I made my silent way out, down the carriage steps, and into the utter darkness that was the Hogwarts grounds after dark. I crossed the space at a quick pace, and found myself before the inky blackness of the lake in no time flat. As promised, I saw a recently familiar head of striking hair residing near the water's edge. But only one.

I hesitated for a moment, but moved on.

"Where iz Fred?" I ask, setting down besides who could only be George, and placing my feet over the grounds edge, and dangling them dangerously close the water.

George only shrugged.

"Everything ees alright, is eet not?" I asked, sensing a disturbance in the boys easy facade.

"Fred is just a little peeved is all. He thought the aging potion would work."

I looked into the distance then, across the surface of the water, and towards a distant coastline. I could faintly make out the unmistakable shimmer of a unicorn disappearing into a patch of trees.

"Why did oo want to entar in ze first place?"

"Why did you?" He responded, catching my glance.

I looked at him long and hard then, deciding how best to respond.

"I didn't."

He gave me a quizzical look.

I sighed, deciding to continue. What could I loose? "I only came, to say that I did." My accent came out stronger then I would have liked. "Everyone my age came, I ould be ridiculed if I did not. Eet was expected. But onestly, I ouldn't want the fame, or ze glory. It is all over-rated. The parchment I entered was blank." A smile crept across my soft features then. "I almost hope my piece is chosen. It ould be a nicely packaged 'screw you.'"

George laughed at this, and I found that I was glad.

There was an odd bit of silence next, but it wasn't awkward like you would imagine. We were both just content sitting there, with our thoughts.

"You're not what I expected you to be."

"I get that a lot." I said, only because it was true. "What did you expect?"

"Honestly?"

I nod, urging him on.

"A slap in the face for our childish behavior,"

"Which is exactly what you deserved." I replied, a mouth full of smiles.

He laughed too, and our voices mingled in the silence, as we both let our selves fall to our backs.

There was a lot more silence then, and not for a lack of knowing what to say, but for a lack of things needing to be said. What followed is all too cheesy to be explained. It was a bit sudden and unexpected, but it seemed like this boy and his easy demeanor were exactly what I needed in my overly repressed by the book life that I was just dieing to escape. And when he kissed me, I did escape, and my whole world came together.

* * *

**xx**

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